During a keynote address at the Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference on Wednesday, the company’s chief operating officer (COO) Kevin Turner took a dig at Apple, saying that the antenna-problems-plagued new iPhone 4 would probably turn out to be as problematic for Apple as Windows Vista was for Microsoft.

Microsoft’s much-hyped yet ‘buggy’ Windows Vista – the company’s operating system version before Windows 7 – was a complete fiasco; and was largely considered a pathetic upgrade from Windows XP.

Drawing a parallel between Vista and iPhone 4, while talking about Microsoft’s endeavors in the mobile arena and its forthcoming release of Windows Phone 7, Turner said: “It looks like that iPhone 4 might be their (Apple’s) Vista; and I'm OK with that. That's another mantle Apple is welcome to take. I actually read that headline last week and I just sort of had to smile after I did cartwheels, again.”

Further, referring to the iPhone 4’s so-called “death grip” issue, Turner said that Microsoft has ensured that customers will be able to use a Windows Phone 7 without having to worry about how the handset is held while making a phone call.

Acknowledging the fact that mobile space has been a challenge for Microsoft, Turner said in his speech, which came barely a week after Microsoft announced the killing of its Kin handset pair, that the discontinuation of Kin line was a “tough” decision for the company.